


Like Real People Do

by thetomkatwholived



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, Drunkenness, First Kiss, Kind of..., M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 16:59:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19705615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetomkatwholived/pseuds/thetomkatwholived
Summary: Sam just wanted a regular day at the park with his best friend. Throw some shirtless jocks, a sexuality-related revelation, and a high school party into the mix and the day will be anything but regular.





	Like Real People Do

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is pretty self-indulgent. I wanted to write a party fic so I did. It's set pre-canon and diverges from the actual canon, but I hope the characters still feel the same. I don't know. I tried. I hope you enjoy!

“Oh my God,” Sam Eliot gasped this phrase out, drawing the attention of his best friend, Becca Gelb. The two had decided to take advantage of the warm New England summer weather by venturing to the local park in West Ham; they liked to stroll the tree-lined path while gossiping about their favorite celebrities and the other teens in the town.

At Sam’s exclamation, Becca whipped around, wanting to see what elicited such a response from her best friend. She quickly realized the source of his amazement: on the small basketball court in the middle of the park were four of the most attractive boys in their school, all shirtless and sweaty, in the midst of a two-on-two game. These boys made up what they called, The Guard. Known to be some of the best athletes in the school, Luke Holbrook, Clark Beecher, Jason Alvarado, and Grizz Visser were making quite a spectacle, attracting a small crowd of fellow West Ham students, including Luke and Clark’s girlfriends, Helena and Gwen.

Sam and Becca took a few moments to shamelessly gape at the four boys, both knowing their staring was in bad taste, but also unable to look away. Helena glanced up and, noticing the two, beckoned them towards her, moving over to make space for them on the small bleachers next to the court. Sam turned to Becca, shrugged, and made his way over to Helena, Becca following close behind.

“Hey, guys!” As Sam and Becca settled in, Helena greeted them, clumsily signing along. She knew some basic signs and always made an effort to include Sam in conversations as best she could. While it was not much more than the bare minimum, it was still more effort than a lot of his classmates put into relating to Sam.

“Hi, Helena! Is this a regular occurrence?” Becca signed along as she spoke.

“These meatheads playing basketball? Yeah, they do it once a week during the summer. The guys want to stay in shape for football season,” Helena explained, glancing back at the game frequently. It seemed as though Grizz and Luke were handily crushing Clark and Jason.

“Don’t they all play basketball too?” Sam asked, knowing full well that Grizz played hockey, while the other three did, in fact, play basketball. Helena didn’t need to know the full extent of his knowledge, especially concerning her boyfriend.

“Grizz plays hockey. But he’s still the best basketball player out of the four of them, and they hate him for it. They’ve been trying to get him to join the team for years, but he insists that he loves hockey too much.” Becca signed along with Helena’s response, signing the name sign they had decided upon for Grizz: a ‘G’ followed by the sign for bear.

Sam knew Grizz played hockey. He played hockey, football, and lacrosse. Not only that, but he was a standout on each team, frequently making all-state teams and end of season MVP. If someone asked, Sam would deny he knew any of that; Grizz had always been someone Sam paid attention to because he was tall and handsome and smart. To Sam, he was probably the ideal boy, at least in the pool of boys living in West Ham.

“Well, he must love the attention he gets during these games. All these girls ogling him,” Sam gestured to the small crowd gathered on the bleachers, consisting mostly of girls.

For some reason, this statement caused Helena to dissolve into giggles, prompting Becca and Sam to exchange confused glances.

“Wait, do you guys not know?” Helena had regained composure, gaping as Becca and Sam shook their heads, “Wow, okay. Grizz is gay. He came out a few weeks ago.”

Sam felt like he was hit by a truck. Grizz - wonderful, handsome, captivating Grizz - was gay. He was gay and sweet and smart and ten feet away covered in sweat while not wearing a shirt. Swallowing hard, he turned towards the game, allowing himself to focus on Grizz for real, taking him in through new eyes. As he appraised him, Grizz happened to look up and make eye contact with him, his face immediately splitting into a huge grin as he threw off a wave. Blushing, embarrassed at being caught, Sam timidly returned the wave. Luke turned at that moment and, noticing Sam’s wave, adopted a sly smile as he began to playfully elbow Grizz in the ribs. Huh.

When Sam turned back towards his friends, both Becca and Helena were looking at him with twin knowing smiles. He just shrugged at them, pretending what had just happened meant absolutely nothing and did not cause his heart rate to increase or his palms to sweat. Unfortunately, his fair complexion made his blush glaringly obvious.

“You know, Sam, Grizz is super great. I think you two would get along really well.” Helena had apparently never been introduced to the concept of subtlety. 

Sam opened his mouth and readied his hands, wanting to respond, before simply blushing, nodding, and turning his full attention back to the game. In his periphery, he could see Becca and Helena continuing to gossip, throwing glances his way and pointing to Grizz. Instead of taking the bait, Sam remained fixed on the game, quickly assessing that Jason and Clark were taking a huge beating. 

Luke and Grizz were both talented on their own but made a dynamic team, seemingly able to communicate silently. They knew where the other would be, passing to an open space where one would appear at just the right time. Jason and Clark were both great players, but they didn’t make the same unstoppable team as Luke and Grizz. As Grizz sank a shot, something happened that caused all four boys to sag in relief, Grizz and Luke collapsing on the ground, as Jason and Clark staggered over to a bench. Sam could only assume the game had ended.

Luke and Grizz reluctantly stood, as Luke made his way towards Helena, Grizz following behind, casting (shy?) glances at Sam during his walk. They settled onto the bleachers in front of the trio of spectators, Luke making sure to give Helena a small kiss before he settled down. Sam noticed Grizz look away with a blush; he filed that away in his list of slightly confusing parts of Grizz.

“Hey guys,” Grizz greeted with a small smile. But what stuck out to Sam was the awkward signs that accompanied his statement. Grizz caught his eye for a moment, before looking away quickly and staring at his hands.

Presumably, the others responded, however, Sam was too focused on Grizz to pay them any mind. He noticed the other three fall into a conversation while Grizz stayed hyper-fixated on his hands, a magnificent blush on his cheeks. Sam needed to seize this opportunity.

“You can sign?” Grizz whipped his head up, giving Sam the impression of a deer caught in the headlights.

“Oh. Um. Only a little bit. I can’t do much. But I know the alphabet and some basic phrases,” The signs that accompanied this explanation were stilted, but Sam was ridiculously endeared by the effort.

Cocking his head, Sam considered the boy in front of him, “Are you learning sign?”

“Sort of,” Grizz looked nervous.

“Why?” Sam needed to know. He needed to know if his crazy suspicion was correct.

Grizz swallowed, and Sam followed the bob of his Adam’s Apple, “I… it’s your language. If I want to talk to you, shouldn’t I do it in your language?”

“You want to talk to me?” Sam felt like he was about to burst. Grizz wanted to talk to him. Grizz was gay and wanted to talk to him, going so far as to learn some signs on his own.

“Of course,” Grizz looked confused, as though he couldn’t imagine a world where he wouldn’t want to talk to Sam.

“Um, you were really great out there. Very impressive. Especially since you actually play hockey.”

Grizz lit up, “You’ve watched me play hockey?”

“Oh. No, I just know you do,” Sam felt foolish. Of course, mentioning that would make Grizz think he had seen him play.

“Okay. Well, you should come see a game sometime. I, uh, I tend to play better when I have someone I want to impress,” He blushed a deep red and cast his eyes down.

Sam felt blood flood his face as his heart hammered in his chest. Grizz wanted to impress him. Grizz was gay and wanted to talk to him and now wanted to impress him. How does he respond to that? Does he admit that everything Grizz does impresses him? Does he just grab his stupidly attractive face and kiss him square on his perfect lips? Does he get down on one knee right then and there?

“I’ll make you a sign. ‘Go Grizz!’” He settled for a teasing joke.

“I’m number 7. So you can put that on your sign. Maybe make a t-shirt or something?” Grizz was certainly trying to join in the joking, but he still managed to look nervous, “Or, hey, you could just, uh, borrow my extra jersey.”

Sam almost had to physically stop himself from swooning, “You have an extra jersey?”

“Well, yeah. We have home and away jerseys. So if you come to a home game, you could maybe wear my away jersey. If you want,” Sam noticed Grizz had crossed his ankles awkwardly and was twiddling his thumbs.

Sam knew what Grizz was suggesting, or, rather, he understood the gravity of the suggestion. He remembers going to football games and seeing Helena decked out in Luke’s away jersey, his number painted proudly on her cheek. While Gwen, being a cheerleader, could not wear Clark’s jersey during the game, she often wore it to school if she wasn’t required to be in her uniform. He remembered at least three different girls sporting Jason’s jersey as the season progressed. It all added up to Grizz wanting Sam to be someone special by hockey season, maybe before.

“What about when I go to an away game?” Sam needed to be coy. If what he thought was happening was actually happening, it would come off as flirty. It also offered Grizz an easy out if Sam misread the situation.

Grizz’s face split into a massive grin, “You could wear the home jersey.”

“I’ll be swimming in them, you know?” Sam wanted to flirt, but he wasn’t sure he even knew how to flirt. Grizz’s delighted expression let him know that whatever he was doing, it was working in some way.

“You’ll look incredible. Adorable. Everyone will be jealous that you’re wearing my jersey,” Grizz was beaming so magnificently that Sam almost felt blinded by the beauty, “Um, so, Luke’s having a small party thing tonight. If you wanted to come. You can bring Becca, obviously.”

At the mention of her name, Becca clued into their conversation, “Oh yeah, Luke mentioned that. We should go, Sam. I think it would be pretty fun.”

Sam looked back at Grizz as he responded, “Yeah. Yeah, let’s go.” He relished in the delighted smile Grizz gave him.

“Sam, you need to bang Grizz.” Becca casually presented this idea as the two scarfed down a quick burger and fries before heading to the party. Sam choked.

“What?” He only signed this question, still trying to get his choking under control.

“I mean, you can definitely do more than that. Date him, wife him up, or whatever. But he’s basically the pinnacle of high school boy: tall, popular, insanely hot. Do it for all the nerdy boys, girls, and everyone in between out there who can only dream about someone like him wanting in their pants.”

“Grizz doesn’t want in my pants.” Sam had finally recovered from his choking fit.

“That boy wants you to climb him like a freaking tree. He wants to spend all day being dumb and romantic with you and then spend all night getting to know you if you catch my drift. Biblically. He wants to know you Biblically.” Becca was full-on smirking, finding some perverse joy in the clear embarrassment she was causing Sam.

“He’s just nice. It’s no big deal.” Sam knew it was more than that; Grizz had made it clear that he was interested in Sam as more than a friend. He just couldn’t fully wrap his mind around the idea at that moment.

“It’s the biggest deal! How often have you gushed about him to me, and then we find out that he’s not only gay but concerned with impressing you and dead set on you wearing his jersey? For crying out loud, he practically declared his undying love right then and there!” Becca seemed to be getting fed up with Sam’s weak protests, as he had only just finished describing his interaction with Grizz with the dreamiest of expressions.

“He can be gay and not like me.”

“Yeah, he can. But that’s not the case. That boy is gay and super into you.”

“He’s not into me,” Sam truly didn’t believe the words he was saying and signing, knowing that when a boy does all that Grizz did today, he probably did like you.

“All I’m going to say is that this party could change some things. He wants you there, and he’s going to want to spend time with you tonight. Just… see what happens. He’s so hot, Sam.”

“He’s more than that, Becca. He’s so… kind and smart and funny too. I really liked talking to him. But he’s just so much more than I am.”

Becca grabbed one of Sam’s hands, signing with her other, “More how, love?”

“He’s smarter and more popular and more attractive. I’m so average, and he’s so exceptional.”

“Never say that about yourself again. You’re the best person I know. So what if he’s more popular or conventionally attractive? You are a truly remarkable person, and I love you fiercely and wholly. If he can’t see how incredible you are, then he’s not as incredible as you give him credit for,” Both had tears in their eyes after Becca’s speech, their love for one another filling them with a warm intensity. Sam may not be able to convince his long-time crush to be with him, but he would always have the love of his best friend and maybe that was all he truly needed.

Sam gave a watery smile, “Except, you know what? I think he maybe does kind of like me.”

Becca threw up her hands in frustration, “Obviously!” 

They dissolved into giggles after that, Sam relishing in the ease of the interaction. He was nervous about tonight because he felt like something big may be about to happen. Could he get the happy ending he so craved with the boy he spent more time thinking about than he'd like to admit?

Becca reached out to ring the doorbell, making some joke about it being too loud in the house to even hear the bell. Sam replied, with a wry smile, that he wouldn’t know. Suddenly, Luke wrenched open the door, red Solo cup in one hand, dopey grin on his face.

“Hey! It’s Sam and Becca!” He held up a finger to indicate he wanted them to wait for a second, before turning and presumably yelling to someone within the house. Sam noticed Becca had a smug smile on her face.

A moment later, Grizz jogged into view, looking slightly flushed, maybe from the alcohol, maybe from his rush to the door. Luke went back inside as Grizz pushed his hair back from his face with a shaky hand, a movement Sam watched with rapt attention. Grizz could make the most basic of movements seem elegant.

“Hi! Hey! Hi Sam! And Becca. Hi, Becca too. Sam and also Becca!” He signed along, spelling their names. Sam bit his lip to hold in his laughter at Grizz’s frantic words, and he noticed Grizz’s eyes flicker down to watch the action.

“It’s okay, I know I’m just the third wheel tonight. I’m perfectly fine with that,” Becca’s smug smile only grew as she spoke and signed.

“Third wheel? Psh, no way! I am equally excited to see both of you,” He leaned against the doorframe awkwardly, almost toppling over. “Sorry. I drank a bit. I was nervous. Nope, not nervous! Not nervous at all. Why would I be nervous?” Sam wanted to kiss him so badly.

“Why indeed. But you don’t have to pretend; I know you’re more excited to see Sam. I’m more than cool with it,” Becca shrugged and made her way inside, leaving a stunned Sam and sheepish Grizz in her wake.

“Hi, Grizz,” Sam awkwardly waved as he shuffled inside, allowing the door to shut behind him, turning back to face Grizz.

“Hi, Sam,” Grizz seemed to sigh this greeting out, accompanied by a fumbling sign language approximation. He stared at Sam almost dreamily for a moment, before snapping out of it and remembering the task at hand, “So do you guys want a tour?”

Sam nodded, fixated on Grizz’s excitement; his eyes were alight and his smile had a lazy calmness that put Sam at ease. Sure, the environment was new and intimidating, but he seemed to have a pro on his side.

“Okay, great! So Becca could you maybe translate? I was going to give the tour facing you guys, but I will definitely just end up bumping into people and things and other nouns. Also, I’m not the best at enunciating when I’m tipsy, and my sign language still needs some work, and Sam’s not gonna wanna miss this grand tour!” Grizz turned around, beckoning Becca and Sam to follow him.

“He’s the most adorable person alive,” Becca signed at Sam, her smug smile back in place.

“Shut up!” Sam rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Grizz. Not Grizz’s ass. He was not staring at Grizz’s ass. 

Grizz began his tour, gesturing wildly, and stopping frequently to introduce the two to random people at the party. Everybody seemed to know him and want to be around him, which Sam could certainly relate to, considering he wanted to be as close to Grizz as he could be.

“And here’s the stairs. They are wobbly right now, but maybe not to you,” Sam watched Becca’s hands, letting out a large laugh at that. Grizz whipped his head around at the sound, grinning goofily, “Hey, don’t mock me! I needed the liquid courage for you! Or nope, not for you. You don’t make me nervous or anything. Wow, your eyes are so blue, Sam. Did you know that?” Sam wanted to jump him.

“He’s totally not into you,” Becca signed with her smug smile looking smugger than ever.

“Okay, up the stairs!” Grizz practically ran up the stairs, Sam and Becca following, giggling the whole way, “So that’s Luke’s parents’ room, and then that’s Luke’s room, and then those are the three guest rooms. Here’s a tip: Luke has an ensuite so avoid the lines for the downstairs bathrooms and go there. I mean, knock first because sometimes Luke and Helena hook up in there. Or Clark and Gwen. Or Jason and whoever. We’re allowed to use his room if it’s free. But I don’t use it! I’m not hooking up with anyone right now. Not me. Totally free and single, just so you know.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Becca said this aloud as she signed it, causing Sam to burst into laughter.

“Not sure you’re his type, Bex,” Grizz turned at the sound of Sam’s voice.

“Darn!” Grizz looked terribly apologetic at Becca’s feigned disappointment.

“No, Becca, you’re great, I’m just so gay. Like, so gay. I like boys. Or, one boy. But I could maybe like other boys too. Not girls though,” Grizz nodded once at the end of his speech, clearly satisfied with his answer.

“Oh, you like one boy?” Becca’s smug smile may be becoming a permanent fixture of her face.

Grizz’s eyes widened to comically large proportions, “What? I… no. Nope. I like no one.”

“What a shame,” Sam wanted to play a bit because drunk Grizz was incredibly endearing and entertaining.

“I’m so bad at this,” Grizz smacked his forehead.

“I’m gonna go get a drink. Leave you two to your own devices,” Becca flashed one more smug smile before making her way back down the stairs.

Grizz turned his full attention towards Sam, tucking his hands into his pants’ pockets and raising his eyebrows in question. Sam wanted to drag him into Luke’s empty bedroom.

He settled instead for gesturing back downstairs, wanting to maybe get a drink and find somewhere a bit more populated so he could stop himself from indulging in his fantasies. They made their way down the stairs, with Grizz’s hand resting lightly on Sam’s lower back, sending tingles radiating through him from the point of contact. Sam wasn’t even sure Grizz realized exactly what he was doing, probably just trying to anchor himself on the descent. 

Grizz steered Sam towards a keg in the kitchen, holding up a Solo cup in question. Not having much experience with parties or drinking, he just shrugged, figuring he could nurse the beer for a while if he wanted. When Grizz handed him the half-full cup, he made sure to lightly graze his fingertips in the exchange, reveling in the thrill of the small contact. As he took a tiny sip, he looked up to find Grizz a delightfully pink color with his eyes fixed on Sam’s face, an unmistakable longing hidden in their depths.

“Sam? You look really nice tonight,” Grizz signed this statement with considerably more finesse than anything else he had signed, leading Sam to believe this was a practiced compliment. He could see Grizz holed up in his room in front of some YouTube video, tirelessly practicing such a small phrase just so he could tell Sam he looked nice. Sam  _ wanted _ him in such an intense and all-consuming way.

“You look great too,” Sam signed back, watching Grizz mimic the movements of his hands, committing the new words to memory. Seeing as he was drunk, Sam doubted anything would stick, but the effort was more than enough to cause Sam to almost launch himself at him. Instead, he took a long swig from his cup, wincing at the foreign taste of whatever cheap beer Luke had managed to procure.

They stood there, in the kitchen, Grizz rambling on about random happenings in the world of West Ham High School, trying to sign along as he went. Sam remained enraptured, unable to fully believe he was spending so much time with the boy who captivated him so deeply.

“Jason was kind of into Marnie at the start of the summer, but he claims she got a bit too clingy. I don’t buy it, though. Jason’s kind of a dick when it comes to girls, always devoting tons of time to one and then swiftly losing interest with no warning. My guess is that he romanced her hard and then decided he was over it for whatever reason so she, rightfully, got kind of upset. Like, he’s one of my best friends, but he needs to figure himself out,” Despite the alcohol in his system, Grizz still made the effort to speak slowly and try not to slur his speech, knowing that Sam needed to be able to read his lips. His sign language was choppy, and he didn’t know a lot of words, but he still did his best to sign along as he spoke. 

“I think Becca had a tiny crush on him last year,” Sam knew Becca had a crush on Jason last year, but he also knew that she was now over it. He also trusted Grizz to not blab about this unfortunate romantic mistake on Becca’s part.

“She’s way too good for him. For real. Keep her far away!”

“Yeah, I guess football players are trouble, right?” Sam delighted in the horror-stricken expression that Grizz adopted.

“Not all of them! Just Jason! Luke and Helena are total endgame, and Clark is actually super sweet with Gwen. Football players make great boyfriends, I think.”

“You’re kind of biased,” Sam shrugged, wanting to tease him a bit longer.

“Please don’t let one bad apple spoil the whole bushel,” Grizz was practically pleading with Sam, almost going so far as to get down on his knees and beg. Once Sam had that image, he decided to store it away for… reasons. Purely scientific reasons. Innocent, scientific reasons.

“I guess. Although, I guess I’ll never really know unless I find a football player willing to date me. Have any ideas?” Sam had finished his beer and made some progress on a second; he was astounded by how much of his filter had crumbled away with so little to drink.

Grizz just nodded vigorously, his eyes wide. Before he could respond, an arm was slung around his shoulder as a very drunk Clark pulled him close and began stroking his face. Sam couldn’t make out what he was saying since Clark’s face was turned mostly to the side, but the progressive reddening of Grizz’s cheeks seemed to indicate the other boy was trying (with startling success) to embarrass him.

“Ain’t that right, Sam?” Clark turned towards Sam, still awkwardly stroking Grizz’s cheek.

“One: you don’t have to yell, that’s not going to help him hear you. Two: he doesn’t know what you said to me because you weren’t looking at him or signing. And three: stop touching my face!” Grizz slapped Clark’s hand away.

“Oh!” Clark looked horrified, turning to Sam and over-enunciating, “I said that Grizz is such a pretty, pretty boy and if I were gay I’d be all up on that. But he likes gingers, I guess, so I’d be out of luck.”

Grizz was beet red and punched Clark in the shoulder, “I’m not like, into gingers exclusively or anything.”

“You make moony eyes at only one person, and he’s a ginger. What else am I supposed to think?” Clark was smirking at Sam with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Oh, is there another redhead in our school? Is it Dewey?” Sam was partially flirting and partially trying not to get his hopes up.

“Dew- What, no! Sam… how-” Grizz was practically pulling his hair out in frustration. But Sam needed him to say it; he needed Grizz to take that final leap. Instead, he gazed down at Sam with such profound longing, before exhaling and proclaiming: “I gotta take a piss.”

And just like that, Grizz turned his back on Sam and rushed up the stairs, evidently taking his advice to use Luke’s ensuite.

Clark’s hand waved in front of Sam’s face, pulling his attention back to him, “That was cold, dude. He’s so into you. It’s getting annoying to hear him gush over you all the time. Throw him a bone, dude. You make him nervous as hell.”

“He doesn’t like me. I’m the only other gay guy here. What other reason would he have to like me?” Sam finally voiced the main concern holding him back: Sam was Grizz’s only option.

“Ha, he has an endless list of reasons. ‘His eyes sparkle, his hair looks so nice and soft that I just want to run my fingers through it. He’s so smart, guys, just so smart. And funny with this great biting wit. I like that he’s a bit shorter, it’s so cute.’ I could go on. He never shuts up about you, Sam,” Clark then let out a big belch, undercutting the moment.

So Grizz actually, genuinely liked him? Enough to talk about him to his friends to the point of annoying them immensely? Sam needed a drink. He knocked back the rest of his beer and turned towards the keg, only to discover a person being held in a handstand position over it, glugging beer from the nozzle. 

The person, who he now recognized as Harry Bingham, spit out the nozzle, falling back to his feet with little grace, throwing his arms up in triumph. And then, he was pointing directly at Sam.

“Sam, my man! Your turn, bro!” Before Sam could refuse, Jason was hoisting him up, getting him into the correct position for the kegstand. Fuck it. At this point, why not. Sam grasped the sides of the keg as he was lifted and the nozzle was inserted into his mouth. He tried not to think about who else had done the same thing before him. And then, he drank. 

It was actually kind of easy, as long as he drank fast enough to avoid the shitty taste of the beer. He thought he noticed some of the crowd around the keg chanting his name, but seeing as he couldn’t hear them, he wasn’t sure. He lost track of how long he was drinking, but eventually decided he’d had enough and spit out the nozzle, kicking his legs down and back onto the ground. The people around him cheered as he smiled, feeling the alcohol take effect. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of shaggy hair, prompting him to turn fully towards the doorway to the kitchen only to find Grizz leaning on the doorframe with the fondest smile imaginable. 

Sam’s legs began moving before he could even collect his thoughts, rushing him over to the other boy. When he was standing right in front of him, Grizz opened his mouth as if to say something, but Sam was over this whole charade. No more talking was needed. He grasped the back of Grizz’s neck lightly and pulled his face down until they were eye level. Sam flicked his eyes between Grizz’s own and his lips, looking for any resistance. Instead, he was met with pure desire.

He crashed his lips into Grizz’s, giving him a fierce kiss that was sort of sloppy and definitely off-center, but perfect, perfect, perfect. Grizz opened to him, tilting his head and making the kiss a bit more elegant. He licked at Sam’s mouth, eager and ready, and who was Sam to deny this wonderful boy the opportunity to deepen this perfect kiss.

Some indeterminate amount of time later, Sam became acutely aware of how public this makeout session was, prompting him to pull back, with great reluctance. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, wanting to bask in the perfection for just a bit longer. Once he opened his eyes, he’d have to take in his surroundings and deal with the reality of what he had done. Maybe Grizz would be upset; maybe everyone around him would be mocking him for thinking he had a chance with someone like Grizz.

During his moment of peace, he felt a hand - a very large, worn hand - cup his cheek, gently caressing it. He leaned into it, relishing in the warmth spreading through him at the touch. When he opened his eyes, he almost gasped at how softly Grizz was looking at him, as though he were the most precious thing in the world.

“Let’s go talk, yeah?” Even though Sam couldn’t hear the intonation of Grizz’s question, he knew there was an underlying fondness to it. He nodded, unable to find any words or move his hands from Grizz.

Grizz grabbed Sam’s hand from around his neck, leading him through the mess of inebriated teens, towards the stairs, and up to Luke’s (thankfully) empty room. Sam settled onto the bed, a bit wobbly from the alcohol that had rapidly taken effect. He felt Grizz plop down next to him, then felt a hand slowly turn his face to look at him so they could talk.

“I really like you,” Grizz signed this phrase as he spoke; it had the same finesse as the compliment from earlier.

“As a friend or…?” 

“Sam, no! I like you as way more than a friend. When you kissed me… Sam, when you kissed me everything made sense. I’ve liked you for so long, and then you just kissed me. You kissed me, Sam!” Grizz then seemed to let out a slightly manic laugh.

“I did kiss you. I didn’t plan to, but I saw you, and the alcohol was kicking in, and I needed to kiss you. All night I was waiting for you to make a move, and you just didn’t.”

“I couldn’t, Sam. What if you rejected me? I’ve never liked anyone else. And you’re so coy!” Grizz grabbed one of Sam’s hands, holding it tightly as if he was worried Sam may just float away if not anchored to him.

“I’d never reject you. How could I? And I thought that was flirting? I’ve never flirted,” Sam had a bit of trouble signing with just one hand, but he refused to break the contact with Grizz.

“It was flirting. However, I’m too into you to see beyond the teasing. If it were just a casual crush, that would have been perfect. But I’m drunk, and I like you so much so I needed you to just… not be coy,” Sam wanted to kiss him so badly. And then… He realized he could, and not only that, but Grizz would enthusiastically respond. So he did. And, boy, was Grizz enthusiastic. 

Sam lost himself to the sensations, recognizing that he was inexperienced and happy to let Grizz take the lead. Everything was warm and soft and he could feel beautiful vibrations coming from Grizz that he could only assume were sounds of pleasure. He wanted to bottle these feelings so he could always have this level of happiness and fullness. Somehow, his hands ended up entangled in Grizz’s hair, reveling in the softness and gently tugging to deepen the kiss. He felt Grizz’s arms encircle his waist, pulling him closer until they met chest to chest, still awkwardly seated on the bed, legs planted on the floor. 

Something overtook Sam as he began to guide Grizz backward, slowly and gently. Grizz pulled away from the kiss to gaze at Sam with glassy eyes and an awed expression, gladly reclining, allowing Sam to settle on top of him. Sam went to resume their makeout, only to be met with Grizz’s cheek instead of his mouth. He groaned with frustration, already missing the other boy’s lips. Shifting his gaze down to them in desire, he saw them begin to move, evidently saying whatever was so important that Grizz had to stall their makeout.

“What was that?” Sam caught bits and pieces, too enraptured by Grizz to fully pay attention, not to mention he clued in a bit too late.

“I was saying that this can’t just be some drunken hookup. If that’s all you want, I need to stop now, because I’m only going to get myself hurt. I already told you that I like you. And I mean it. This is… incredible, but I want it to be the start of something. So if you’re only doing this because you’re drunk or just excited to have another gay guy in the school, you need to let me know,” Grizz did his best to sign along, fumbling on a lot. Sam still wanted to swoon.

“You know, I’ve had this big, dumb crush on you since I started high school,” Sam wanted to permanently capture the smile this statement elicited so he could always remember that true beauty is out there. “It felt cruel to me that someone like you could exist just outside of my reach. And then Helena said you came out and suddenly it hurt even more. Now you were someone obtainable, but I never thought you’d choose me. And then you did choose me.”

Grizz cupped Sam’s face as though it were something precious. To him, maybe it was, “I always chose you. I’ll always choose you. I came out because I wanted to be myself, sure, except I also came out because I wanted you. I was sick of pining.”

“This is not some drunken hookup to me. Yeah, I’m drunk and we’re hooking up, but it’s so much more than that. You’re… Grizz. You’re all I want,” As soon as the final syllable left Sam’s mouth, Grizz kissed him, pulling him down to rest above him, tangling their limbs together.

Sometime later, as they cuddled in sated bliss, giggling and tracing random patterns on each other’s bodies, Grizz tensed up. He turned towards the door and seemingly shouted something out to whoever was on the other side, evidently hoping to use this room. Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal Clark and Gwen, both with shit-eating grins. 

“It  _ is _ him! Grizz is never in here!” Clark, it turned out, was incredibly expressive when he was drunk, allowing Sam to easily read his lips and discern his excitement. 

“He does piss in here,” Gwen was less expressive but still easy to read.

“But he’s never on the bed, hooking up! And it’s Sam, too! Way to go buddy!” Clark was then charging over, thankfully not tackling Grizz, as it initially seemed like he would, rather extending his hand for the most awkward high-five. Grizz sheepishly returned it, prompting Clark to then offer one up to Sam, who hesitantly slapped his hand. 

Just as the high-five ended, Jason and Luke crowded in the doorway, wanting to confirm what Clark had evidently yelled down to them. Sam pulled the sheets up to his chin, feeling overwhelmingly self-conscious in the presence of four of the most popular people in town. While naked. He was as naked as the day he was born as Grizz’s friends stared at them like some kind of zoo exhibit.

Grizz launched a pillow at the small crowd, earning lots of laughter. Gwen seemed to wise up to the reality of the situation, as she began to drag Clark away, aiming glares at Luke and Jason. By the grace of God or some magical deity, the four left, shutting the door on their way out. Sam could feel his blush, and Grizz was similarly red.

“I’m sorry about them,” Grizz signed as spoke, the only way Sam caught what he said since his gaze was still partially on the door, not Grizz’s lips. He turned so they could properly converse, “It’s a big deal for me to be hooking up with people, I guess. I stopped actively pretending to be straight a long time before I came out so I wasn’t involved with anyone. Unless you count shamelessly staring at you as being involved.”

“So no other guys?”

Grizz shook his head, his hair flopping about. “No, I’ve really only ever had eyes for you. And Darren Criss, but I am only human.” They shared a laugh at that, Sam relishing in being so special to someone, “What about you? Uh, anyone else?”

“I met this guy, Miles, at some dumb camp I went to one summer. I had a pretty big crush on him, but I was too nervous to say anything. But we, uh, kissed during a game of Truth or Dare. It was nice, but he spent the rest of the night all over some girl so I guess it meant nothing to him. It’s what kind of affirmed I’m gay. You’re the first guy I’ve liked who liked me back.” 

Truthfully, Sam hadn’t thought about Miles since he entered high school the following fall and saw Grizz in all his awkward, gangly, sophomore glory. Sam forgot all about the guy from camp when faced with, what he could only assume was the most handsome person to ever exist. He hadn’t seen Grizz since they were both in middle school and that year apart had done him a lot of good, in Sam’s eyes. This admission felt like a bit too much so soon, so he stored it away for a later date when the magnitude of his feelings made a bit more sense.

“He’s dumb. He missed out, big time,” As if to emphasize his point, Grizz leaned down to give Sam a lingering kiss, one that Sam sighed into and quietly protested when it ended. 

“We should go on a date!” Sam blurted this out, little prior thought driving his words.

“What, right now? It’s 1 am, and I’m so naked and sleepy,” Grizz carded his hand lightly through Sam’s hair, giving a small nip to his jaw.

“I guess not now. But soon? As you said, it’s not just a drunken hookup. So we should date.”

Grizz broke into a giddy grin and pulled Sam down to connect their lips once again, “I’m awake, right? This isn’t an amazing dream that I’m going to wake from and feel empty inside.” Sam gave him a small pinch, which he flinched at and then grinned even wider.

“You’re very cheesy,” Sam wrinkled his nose.

“Only for you. That was cheesy too. I blame the alcohol!” Grizz then groaned and hid his face in the crook of his arm, a silly smile still on his face. 

Sam couldn’t help but stare at him; this hulking jock completely undone by the very prospect of being with Sam. Grizz was beautiful, and Sam was struck by how surreal this day had been. He woke up expecting to avoid Campbell and spend the day with Becca goofing off, before spending a quiet night in maybe reading some books or watching some videos, basically how he spent most summer days. If you had told him that morning he would end the day tangled up in bed with the boy he’d been crushing on for years, he’d have laughed right in your face. Grizz was not an obtainable person until that afternoon when he became, somehow, impossibly attainable.

“You’re also cute.” Grizz peaked an eye out from behind his arm. Sam wanted all of him forever, “How are you even real?”

Grizz dissolved into crazy giggles, looking like a lovestruck teenager. Which maybe he was. Sam was certainly a silly lovestruck teenager. 

Who knew what the next day held. Today was a total surprise from beginning to glorious, glorious end. However, Sam knew that Grizz was going to be a part of his tomorrows for as long as he wanted to be. 

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to [lazygeisha](http:/lazygeisha.tumblr.com/), [casualcloudlighttrash](http:/casualcloudlighttrash.tumblr.com/), and [grizzlysam](http:/grizzlysam.tumblr.com/) for reading this fic over and helping me improve it!
> 
> Feel free to find me on Tumblr at [theswiftiewholived](https://theswiftiewholived.tumblr.com/)!


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